Finite element analysis of viscous mixing with a helical ribbon-screw impeller

A finite element analysis was carried out to study the mixing patterns of a viscous Newtonian fluid into a stirred tank. A helical ribbon screw impeller (HRS) was used as the mixing device. The numerical simulation involved the full three-dimensional resolution of the equations of change governing the flow in the tank. The circulation time and the torque were determined and compared with experimental data. A good agreement was found, showing the usefulness of the numerical approach for design purposes.